I've heard that you can modify your xbox with a 16x computer dvd drive. If I do this will I beable to read DVDR disks I've burned (I'm supposing so lol) and will I beable to read original retail games? I know about the power connector..thats not a problem.

you should be able to read DVD-R discs that you've burned anyway. some of the older DVD drives (such as the Toshiba) were really bad, and didn't like reading them, but after ejecting and reinsterting the DVD enough times, it will read it.

you can install a Samsung SD-616T, but it takes alot of work. you may be better off just searching ebay for an original Samsung Xbox DVD drive. or if you know of someone who has purchased an Xbox lately and is intending to play on Xbox Live! and doesn't want to mod their system, you may be able to get them to swap you drives since the older DVD drives will work perfectly fine for them.

Nope. The only DVD drives that can read xbox discs are the three (Phillips, Samsung, and Thomson) that come inside xboxs.

The one you put in the will 'beable' to read anything that doesnt not contain MS signed code. Otherwise, you need one of those three. You can get a Samsung 616t with hacked firmware, but it is just as easy/easier to just get one of the original drives.